TECH GURUS SIGN ON TO POLITICAL ACTION

Chicago-area technology leaders are booting up an ambitious bipartisan political action committee to give state and national lawmakers a better download of their views.

Modeled after a 2-year-old Silicon Valley lobbying group that's helped raise upward of $3 million for technology-friendly candidates, the Illinois effort -- called Tecpromote -- was launched earlier this month to raise funds for state and federal candidates.

The nascent organization is the brainchild of Thomas Thornton, president of the Illinois Coalition, a publicly and privately funded non-profit group that promotes development of the state's high-tech economy, and Chicago attorney Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois Venture Capital Conference, which sponsors an annual gathering of early-stage companies seeking investors.

Tecpromote hopes to raise at least $100,000 by the end of the year, says Mr. Glennon, a partner with Chicago law firm Holleb & Coff and brother of dealmaker John Glennon, chairman of Gov. George Ryan's Infrastructure Task Force. In addition, the political action committee (PAC) will host fund-raisers at which high-tech executives can contribute individually to candidates as well.

Mom and apple pie

Policymakers "need to understand the impact the Internet economy is having on Illinois," says Andrew "Flip" Filipowski, the group's self-described "figurehead" and chairman of Divine InterVentures Inc., a venture capital fund. "If they don't get it soon enough, people will go somewhere else."

In terms of political lip service, high tech already ranks right up there with Mom, the flag and apple pie. But without an effective voice in Springfield and Washington, that kind of virtual reality does not necessarily compute into votes on high-tech issues such as Internet taxation and education.

This plunge into politics is not without risk for Mr. Thornton, given that the non-political Illinois Coalition depends heavily on state funding and plays an important role in state economic development projects. Messrs. Thornton and Glennon say they'll segregate their political activities.

"Will Tecpromote lobby for Illinois Coalition money? That would be a big mistake," says Mr. Thornton. None of the Illinois Coalition's staff or resources will be used on Tecpromote, he adds.

"I know perceptions matter immensely," he adds. "I also know it's a damn good idea" for the high-tech community to get politically organized.

As long as Mr. Thornton acts as an individual rather than a representative of the non-profit group he heads, "you probably haven't created any problems," says campaign finance expert Kent Redfield, professor of political studies at the University of Illinois in Springfield.

As first disclosed in the May Report, an electronic high-tech industry newsletter in Chicago, the group's initial focus will be on funding for federal research projects in Illinois, reforming securities litigation, improving higher education in science, protecting intellectual property and minimizing regulation and taxation of electronic commerce.

Raising visibility

In addition, the group will back candidates who support a range of "new economy" issues important to technology-driven companies, such as research tax credits and accounting rules for mergers and stock options, says Mr. Glennon, noting that the PAC's acronym stands for technology, entrepreneurship and capital formation.

"It's a great idea," says U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert, R-Hinsdale, a member of the Science Committee whose district contains Argonne National Laboratory. "This will raise their visibility."

Although the Chicago area has high-tech strengths, Illinois overall ranks 22nd in its transformation to the "new economy," according to a comprehensive study issued last week by the Progressive Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.

"Whether we can make it No. 1, I don't know," says Mr. Filipowski. "But I'm certain we can make it into the top five."